"Project in Use" error

[Anonymous]

I'm working on a PLN file (WinXP, AC10 987) that is on a server in another office across our WAN. When I save the file and exit ArchiCAD gracefully, then try to reopen the file I get the "Project in use" error. The computer/user listed in the error message is me. See image.

• If I restart or shut down my computer I still get the error.
  
  Waiting overnight does not work.
  
  Users in the remote office get the same message when they try to open the same file.
  
  The same thing happens with other project files (it's not just the one file), and it happens with files saved with the 966 hotfix too. I have not tried it with any other version of AC10 yet.
  
  If I choose to "Open with exclusive access", everything works fine after that. But in a multi-user multi-office environment, that is not going to work.

If I copy the file to a sever in my office, I do not get the error. It works fine for me. So, I believe I can safely say that it is a wide area network issue.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[__archiben]

it probably means that the user concerned had a crash with the file. the 'lock' gets written to the file itself by archicad (OSX handles it as well using a mac system). if archicad crashed before it knew to 'unlock' the file no amount of waiting around is going to clear it.

if you're sure that no one has the file open, open with 'exclusive access' and carry on . . .

the alert is there to make you aware that someone might have the file in use and assess the situation before continuing . . .

HTH
~/archiben

[Anonymous]

I understand, but it's not a teamwork file, so there is no lock file, and it happens with any new PLN file that I create (on the remote server).

[TomWaltz]

Sounds like a file permissions problem to me.

What OS is on your workstations and which OS is on your server?

[Anonymous]

Our workstations are WinXP SP2, and our servers are Windows Server 2003, and we are running a Steelhead appliance for WAN performance.

Incidently, I tried it with hotfix version 817 today, and got the same results. So I have tried it with 817, 966 & 987.

[TomWaltz]

We had a similar problem on a Linux server, that's why I asked. There was a problem with someone opening a file after somone else had exited it.

[__archiben]

Skaman40 wrote:
I understand, but it's not a teamwork file, so there is no lock file, and it happens with any new PLN file that I create (on the remote server).

doesn't matter - it's not a lock file in the teamwork sense: but archicad 'locks' the file if it's in use. unix systems (including macOSX) also lockdown the file at a system level.

if the file really isn't in use and you open with exclusive access, save, close and then try and open it again, does it give you the same message? what if you open the freshly saved and closed file from someone else's workstation?

~/archiben

[Anonymous]

OK, sorry. I can see no evidence that the Windows OS has locked the file. According to the Computer Management snap-in on the server, the file is not open. (But it will only show a PLN as "open" during an open or save operation)

It still happens from another workstation (after a fresh save).

The only way I have avoided the message is if I open another file from the same ArchiCAD session, save & close the other file, then go back and open the original file.

I wonder if ArchiCAD and our Steelhead WAN appliance don't work well together in this regard...

[Anonymous]

I found this topic through search.

I am having a similar problem. I've been using Windows Vista for a few weeks now and ArchiCAD usually works very well with it. But in the last few days I have had a couple of crashes.

When I try to reopen ArchiCAD I can't open the file again. It just locks up. The project file is not openable or movable or even deletable in the Windows GUI. I can't even open the file properties. This also has happened to several library part files that were in use as well.

I was thinking that it was disk corruption, but I found that I could use the files from another computer through Remote Desktop. The 'corrupted' GDL library part files are also readable using the TYPE command from a command prompt.

So when ArchiCAD 10 crashes the files that were being used get completely locked up. This may only be an issue with the pre-release version of Vista I am using, but even so, it's ArchiCAD's fault for crashing in the first place!

I'll report back if this ever happens with Vista Final and Archicad 10.

[Anonymous]

We reset the Steelhead service on the server in our office (Atlanta) and the problem was resolved.